Highly efficient hydrogenation of dimethyl oxalate to methyl glycolate via the ternary synergistic catalysis of dispersion, oxygen vacancies, and acidic sites

This work designs high-performance and low-cost cobalt-based catalysts for dimethyl oxalate (DMO) hydrogenation to methyl glycolate (MG). The effects of supports and cobalt content on catalytic activity are systematically studied. The results show that compared with ZrO 2 and Al 2 O 3 , using TiO 2 as a support affords Co-based catalyst with excellent MG selectivity. Meanwhile, the results of different cobalt contents reveal that the 12Co/TiO 2 catalyst exhibits outstanding catalytic activity with MG yield of 90.61 ​%, and it can obtain long-term stability (at least 250 ​h). Catalytic performance analysis and systematic characterizations demonstrate that the excellent catalytic performance of 12Co/TiO 2 catalyst can be attributed to the ternary synergistic catalysis of an appropriate dispersion, oxygen vacancies, and acidic sites. This understanding of ternary synergistic catalysis may provide guidance for designing efficient catalysts for hydrogenation of C O/C–O bond. • Co-based catalysts with different support and Co loading were synthesized. • The monometallic Co-based catalysts exhibited exceptional hydrogenation performance of dimethyl oxalate. • The ternary catalytic mechanism would bring possibilities for rational design and preparation of heterogeneous catalysts with low-cost and sustainable utilization for hydrogenation of C=O/C-O bond.